Blog jam: The ideal site for house and techno fans looking to while away an afternoon
Who are you and what's your blog called?
I'm a freelance music writer, Kristan J Caryl, who runs teshno.com as my naughty bit on the side.
Where are you based?
A musical hotspot like London or Berlin would be too easy. I set up shop in my living room, right at the heart of the rhubarb triangle. Or "just outside Leeds" to you.
Describe your blog in a sentence.
A half-arsed vanity project that got out of hand, or as one kind fan put it "a nice place for house and techno enthusiasts to lose an afternoon."
How long has your blog been going?
Since June 2009. It started as a portfolio for stuff of mine that had appeared in print, then after three posts turned to original content and has spiralled from there. Because people actually seem to read it and people from Mike Huckaby to Andrew Weatherall are happy to be on it, I'm now motivated by a constant fear of letting anyone down and losing their trust.
What do you write about?
Mainly house and techno in the form of interviews, news, reviews and a podcast series. I also occasionally brave the odd opinion piece/rant. The remit is wide, with relevant veterans and curious new talent alike all under the microscope. For right or wrong, it all comes solely from me.
Why should people visit your blog?
I'm honest, enthusiastic and really think about every word I write. Ultimately it's a question of taste. Either ours will align and you'll find plenty of great music and insight into, and from, the people who make it, or you'll find pages of dull commentary droning on about even duller music.
You could say that of any site I guess, but teshno at least will a) never reword press releases or cover what I think people think I should like 2) always recognise that most punters don't care about the subtleties of Slapp Happy's back catalogue and its irrelevance to the latest flash-in-the-spam producer and d) never insult your intelligence with gossipy/pseudo-controversial link bait under the premise that it is newsworthy – I'd rather have fewer readers that return than millions who immediately migrate. I don't just post for the sake of adding content. Especially on the Facebook page, teshno just feels like a nice gang of people who are into the same dope stuff… and indulge me as head cheerleader.
What's your top song right now?
Right now it has to be the crushing melancholia and scuffed kicks of oft overlooked Detroit house innovator Scoot Grooves and his recent track, Bittersweet.
What's your favourite music blog aside from your own?
Don't tell anybody this, but I basically only ever dreamed that teshno might be close to house and techno's answer to sonicrouter.com. A first and last stop for all things past, present and future bass/hip hop/electronica, it's always lead from the front with genuine insight and is now an equally lovely label.
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by via Music: Electronic music | guardian.co.uk
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